Human resource allocation in a multiple project environment

Abstract

Resource management on a master level, this is how one can describe the task to manage resources in a multiple project environment. Beside the common responsibilities of a human resource manager like planning, allocating, monitoring and developing resources, the multiple project environment also offers constrains on several levels, success and failure interdependencies and extreme variations on workload demand and capacities. What is common to all projects, no matter if single or multiple, processed in sequence or simultaneously, the assigned human resources are a central success driver. In order to maximise every project objectives it is essential to plan the available resources as best as possible. This study shall contribute to the understanding about what kind of difficulties organisations are facing by managing their human resources in the multiple project environment. Firstly the case company’s processes has been observed and tested in order to identify the department’s specific difficulties. Secondly an in depth literature review will provide a comprehensive overview about recently discussed theory and proposed solutions concerning processes and procedures about the issue in question. Thirdly the identified, department specific, difficulties have been compared to external processes and procedures in order to seek for feasible solutions. Therefore the data- and the methodological triangulation have been applied. As the research model will show later, grounded theory, qualitative and quantitative methods were used. Therefore data was gathered company internal and external. In summary the most influential attributes, for the human resource management process in a multiple project environment, could be identified as the reliability and validity of time schedules, the poor visibility of current and future workloads, the high dependency on external factors and supporting software tools.